Wrist-supporting attachment for pianos



L. F. STAFFORD. WRIST SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS. APPLICATIONFILED OCT. 7. 1919.

1,359,928. Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- A TTORNEYS L. F. STAFFORD.

WRIST SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATTON FILED OCT. 7. 1919 1,359,928, Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

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ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES LEWIS FREDERICK STAFFORD, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

WRIST-SUPPORTING ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 23, 1920.

Application filed October 7, 1919. Serial No. 329,006.

I To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS FREDERICK STAFFORD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful \VristSupportingAttachments for Pianos, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object the production of a piano attachmentfor holding and guiding the hands of players, especially beginners, andparticularly to means for permittinga fore and aft movement of the wristsupports in a plane instead, of in an arc.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations andconstructions hereinafter set forthand claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanyingdrawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in allthe views.

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away of a piano providedwith my invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, parts of parts seen in Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively an enlarged being omitted fragmentaryplan and elevation of the means for supporting one end of the rail alongwhich the wrist supports slide.

Figs. 5 and 6 are an enlarged plan and side elevation of the wristsupports.

This attachment comprises generally, a rail extending along and abovethe keyboard. wrist supports slidable along the rail, and means forsupporting or guiding the ra l whereby it can be moved in a planerectilinearly, forwardly and rearwardly when the operator is reachingfrom the black to the white keys and vice versa, and whereby the ends ofsaid rail can be moved in opposite directions as when the player isreachinc for black keys with one hand and for white keys with the otherhand.

1 designates the piano; and 2 the keyboard thereof. 3 is a railextending above and along the keyboard and 4 are the wrist supportswhich are mounted upon slides 5 movable in a lengthwise groove in therail 3, these supports being formed of two sections which are adjustabletoward and from each other to accommodate difi'erent widths of wrists.The slides 5 are also provided with suitable rollers 6. The rail 3 ishere shown as pivoted at its opposite ends and movable about the pivotateither end as an axis as when the player is reaching for the black keyswith one hand for the white keys with the other, it being pivoted to itssupporting means by a pin-andslot connection.

As here shown, the rail 3 is connected at each end by a pin-and-slotconnection to a rocking or pivoted. member 7 which is pivoted at 8 on avertical axis to a stationary rail 9 supported on uprights 10 which aread ustably mounted in ways provided in brackets 11 mounted to beadjustably movable forwardly and rearwardly in guides 12 secured on theunder side of the keyboard. .As here shown, the rail 3 is formed with aslot 13 at each end and each rocking member 7 with a pin 14 working inthe slot, and the rocking member 7 is also formed with an arc-shapedtrack 15 on which a roller 16 moves during the movement of the rail 3.

The uprights 10 are held in their adjustable position in any suitablemanner and in so far as this invention is concerned it is immaterial howthe rail 9 is supported.

In operation, during the movement of the player forwardly and rearwardlythe rail 3 can move in a plane rectilinearly or about an axis located ateither end of the rail and owing to the fact that the rail moves in aplane instead of an arc the movements of the player are natural and thesame as those of an accomplished player not using this at- I tachment.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a piano, of an attachment for holding andguiding the hands of the player comprising a rail extending along thekeyboard and above the same, means supporting the rail connected theretoto permit the rail to move rectilinearly forwardly and rearwardly oreither end of the rail forwardly or rearwardly relatively to the otherend, and wrist supports carried by the rail and slidable along the same,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination with a piano, of an attachment for holding andguiding the hands of the player comprising a rail extending along thekeyboard in front of and above the same, wrist supports carried by therail and slidable along the same, means for supporting the rail at its.opposite ends, said means comprising normally fixed sup- 7 ports forattachment to the piano and members pivotally connected to the supportsrespectively and to opposite ends of the rail whereby a fore and aftinci ement in a horizontal plane of either end of the rail relatively tothe other end is permitted, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

3. The combination with a piano, of an attachment for holding andguiding the hands of the player comprising a rail extending along thekeyboard and above the same, wrist supports carried by the rail andslidabie alongthe same, and means for supporting the rail at itsopposite ends inc1uding forwardly and rearwardly movable pivotedmembers, the rail being pivoted at its ends to said members bypin-and-slot connections, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, in thecounty of Onondaga, and State of New York, this 5th day of September.1919.

LEWIS FREDERICK STAFFORD.

